COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1040, 1 February 1911, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

"/''.INVESTMENT SHARES. A fair amount of trading in investment shares was recorded yesterday. There were sales of Equitable Building at £10, Wellington' Trust land Loan at £7.1C5.; N.Z vDrug at , £2 95.,' :and Taranaki Petroleum at 14s. The petroleum shares have taken a. big jump, as, up till now, buyers could not bo temptsd to offer more.than 11s for the shares. The prospects of the' oil wells nrc considered to be favourable, find there is a belief that English capital will bo available for developing the industry; The buying.* and selling quotations yesterday were as und-r: — ■" : Buyers. Sellers ..'■■■■ ■ : ■ , ' . £ s. d. £ s. d. Eouitable Building '■' .— 10 2 6 Wellington Investment .... - 0 11 6 Well. Trust and Laan ... 7 16 0 8 U 0 Ohristchurch Gas 9 17 6 — Well. Gas (£6 155.) 1317 6 - Standard Insuranco .1 7.0... — Jteat Export (SS-5. 6d.) ... ; -3 0 0 ■■ 3 2 0 •Kaiapoi Woollen '...:.- S u . u — Well. Woollen (ord.) J 16 0 3 17 6 Well. .Woollen (pref.) 2 16 U —•■• Taupiri Goal 110 .— D.I.U. Preference — 13 3 Leyland-OBrien ....■.., - 17 3 Manning aud Co — 4 10 0 Miramar, Ltd — 0 2 6 N. 25. Con. Dental..... 12 6 13 6 Sharkmd's Ordinary -..;... 1 1 'J ■ — Rharlaud's Preference ... 1 1 9 — Tarar.aki Petroleum Ul2 6 014 0 Ward aud Oo - 6 10 Customs revenue collected at the port of Wellington yesterday amounted to £1990 195. 4d. TRADE IN -ALLEN STREET, j Oats.—The . new season's -'oats, are ' now available, and some really fino samples of tho different varieties are olienng. Prices have .eased considerably since fue new-oats came-forward. . Fowls' wheat has. declined in value in < sympathy, with milling wheat, which is ! offering at comparatively loiv prices. Maize.—The cheap freights. offering from the north have enabled merchants to stock up with supplies. The current quotations arc 3s. Id. to 3s. <Sd. per bushel according to quality. ■ Pollard-Heavy shipments continue to come forward from Australia, local millers being unable to cop 3 with the.demand. Bran—Heavy supplies are available, the local ■ quotations-being. £4 lCsnto £4 !ss. per ton. . ■"'*•■"« Barley.—A good demand exists for brewers' ■ sorts, but feed barley is neglected. Grass Sceds.-Tlio new season's cocksfoot i 6 now offering freely, and some ccellent samples are beiug shown. Ryegrass, clover, and other small seeds meet with an excellent demand. <<'' Oatmeal and rolled oats arc .inclined to case, due, no doubt, to the decline in tho price of oats. ' Flour is without any change at £8 10s. per ton in 2MIb. hags, f-o.b. south. Onions.—Some excellent samples of- table and pickling onions are coming forward from the Auckland district, and the demand is good. Potatoes are offering freely, the current values being £1 10s. to £5 10s., according to quality. ' \ Butter.—Prime bulk, suitable for pastry, is in good demand at 8!d. t(>.'B3d. per lb. Cheese.—Fair. Bales . are being made of both loaf and- medium size? without any change in price?. £ !' ■ Eggs.— ore worth-Is. id. per Pouitry.-Hens, '2s. 6d. to'"3.-. per pair; cockerels, 3s. to in. ; ducks, 3s. to Is.: ducklings, 3s. 6d. to its. 6d. Bacon and Hams.—Hams have declined a. half-ponnv per lb., and are now quoted at 8!d. per lb.; bacon is unchanged. Fruit.—For a line of extra choice peaches up to 7s. per caj-c was obtainfil al iin , - tion yesterday.- Nectarines aJe fomini"in freely Mid make from ■ 2s. M.< to <s. 6d. per half-case;'-Greengages are in =hort supply, and rule at 4s. 6U. to 5-j. 6d.; npricots are selling at ss. to Cs.. and con" signments are recommended. Plumu arc plentiful and, are selling at Is. 6d. to 4s por l'.alf-ca«e according to quality. A good demand exists for choice dessert pear l -- tho moet popular variety being the William Eoncretian. Supplies of Californian oranges and Fiji bananas are due this week by the Aorfingi and Navua; by tho latter a choice line of bananas in bunclica ir- coming forward. Heavy consignments of watermelons arc coming forward Irom New South Wales and make from Is. to 25. 6d., according to size. Passion' fruit

aro in heavy supply, aud the prims obtained at-auction mast leave growers with a IOE-0.

valuo and are now quoted at is. 6tl. per 'sack. Grcsn poas rauso frani 6d. ta 9d. per peck, and are in good demand. Tomatoes- arc coming in from tho Hutt and Kelson districts and aro in rather heavy supply, and aro quoted at Is. 6d. to 2s. £d. per half-case. A good demand exists for pumpkins, parsnips, carrots, and turnips. PALMEItSTON JIAIiKET EEPOHT. Mr. Harry Palmer reports auotlier big entry of pigs, principally weaners, slips and small stores at his last market at I'almerstou. The presence of outside buyers from other districts livened up the sale considerably. Ovur SO went to Masgood porkers, and these found ready buyers at prices on a par with those ruling last week. Prices i now appear to have found their level. He had an exceptionally heavy entry of poultry, over 6GO head being penned. Every head was sold at fair average prices. There is a- keen demand for pullets, and good table cockerels. Large,, numbers of hens aro coming forward, aud. in many being culid and having finished laying, prices arc not high,-although they find ready sale. Fruit is coming i!\ in limited quantities, excepting all 'classes of plums and apples. There is practically no change of prices son. A better sample'of potatoes is being dug, and prices are firm at from £6 to £7 per ton. Very little stain is offering! a, good lino of wheat selling readily at 15s. 6d. per sack, bollard is unprocurable in any quantity. A line of imported pig meal realised lit-. Only limited supplies of vegetables are offering, although there is a good demand: Quotations:—Wcanern, 65., 75., 7s. 6d., 7s. 9d.. Bs.; suckers, 3s. 9d. to 55.; slips, Bs. 6d., 95.. 10s.; stores, ids. 6d., Us., 13s. 9d., 155.; light porkers, 16s. to 18s.; heavy, 24e. 6d. to 265.; duclu (at per pair), 3s. 6d. to ss. (average 45.); table cocks, As. to ss. 9d.; half-grown, 2s. 6d. to Is.; chicks, from Is. 6d.; pullets, 43. to 6g. 6d.; one line of choice Leghorns, 7s. Cd.;'liens, 2s. to 3s. (average 25.); guinea fowls, 4s. to 6s. 6d.; turkeys (in demand), gobblers 9s. to 12s. 6d. each, hens ss. 6d. to. 8s: 6d. each; geese, 2s. 9d. to 3k. 6d. each; tomatoes (sr.arcc, good demand), 2d. to 3d. per lb.: apples. Id.'to 3d. Der lb.; peaches, ss. to 7s. 6d. (scarce); nectarine, 4s. 6d. ■ to 6s. td.: plums, Is. to 3s. per case; cucumbers, 2> M. p;r caso; pears, c .s. d to 6c; potatoes, 6s. to 7s. Ncr cwt.; onions, Bs. to is. per cwt.; cabbage. 2s. per sack; marr.iws, 3.--. per sack; beans, about Id. per lb.: cheese, 4d.; bacon 6d. to 7d.; hams. 7d. to 3d.; pig meal very ■choice, lie. per ?acl; wheat. 15s. 6d. per sack; chaff. £5 it's, to 16. Business, generally speaking, is becoming more settled. LONDON WOOL SALES. By Telegraph-Press Association -Copyright London, January 30. At the wool sales there was an irreeular market. Average faulty merinos wero weak, and New Zealand crossbreds barely maintained values. - ■ A large selection of superior Geelongs met keen competition. - SILVER. Bγ Telcgrap-h-Prcss AsForiatioTi-Oopyrijrht London, January 30 standard , '" iS QUOtCd at Ui± ucrouu ' co LONDON MARKETS. Dalgety and Company, Limited, have received cable advico from their London ofhro dated January £6. as follows-Frozen Meat.-Ueci: Demand for New Zealand lair, and market firm. Quotations- PHiiip ox fores, 3d,; hinds. 3Jd. per lb. " L.-uub:' licmand limited, nnd pricca weaker Quolamb may-Uechnc concnJcrably when sunplies become heavier owing to the low prices of Australian. The demand for Australian is fair;, heavy, 42d.; liaht. 4;d.

Mnttpn: Tho demand for New Zealand is limited. Quotations: Primo Canterbury, heavy, 4Jd.: North Island, heavy. 4d.: Canterbury, light, <!!(!.: North-Island. 'M. onuisTonußCir wool sale. A HUGH BEISKER TONE. (By TeleEraph—Press Association.) Olirlstchurch, January 31. Tho fourth wool sale qt this seasons series was held this moraine when there wore 4472 bales oU'crcd. Then; were a number of new clips in the catalogues, but a cood deal of tho woo! offered had been passed in at tho previous sale. Thero was a large attendance of buyers, and tho sale had a much brisker tone than tho laist one, aud competition at times was very keen. .Merino wool showed a decline, the local woollen mills not operating very actively, and the reserves were beyond the limits of outside buyers. There was no oupor halfbred offered, but medium halfbred and crossbred was well competed for, and in some ca«v> sold at id. more than

also a, good demand for nieces. The nroso large as at tho previous sale, except in tho case of merinos.

The ranee of prices obtained wn.s:— Grea-y merino, Cad. to 93d.; medium halfbred. 10d. to llldl: inferior, bid. to 93d.: Corriedale, 7id. to IOJd.; thrce-aunrtcrbred, Sid.to 9jd.: medium crossbred. Bd. to 9»d.; inferior, Sd. to 72d.: long wool. 6d. to Bd.; down wool. 7»d. to 91d-: merino pieces. <»d. to 9d.; best halfbred pieces, 8»d. to ICJd.; :pocond pieces. sd. to 8?d.; crossbred pieces :M. to 64d. : locks. 2d. to sid. GRAIN AND PRODTJCE. ■ . (By Teleeranh-I'i-ess Association.) ChTlstchurch, January 31. The wet weather that has been experienced on several days lately has delayed threshing operations soiriewhat. and there is consequently less wheat offerinir than last week. There is still a very cood demand both on the part of millers and merchants, and any lines are ealeable at quotations. Most of the wheat that has changed hands has made 3s. Id.. 3s. lid.; and oE. 2d. at country stations. In a, few caEes very prime pearl and tuscan han made one penny more, but the censral basis on which' business is doinsr in wheat is Iβ. Id. to 3s. 2d. . Oats aro still very scarce. A few Gartons ore now : coming forward, and sales have, been made at Is. Hd. to 2s. at country' stations, but- no Quantity have yet changed hands. Prime niaUine barley still commands a fale, thouch the market is ouietor than it was a week ago. Most of tho best linos nave chanced bands, av.d it is estimated that of the balance still in tho hand's of irrowers little more than half is of malting quality.

. Very little business has yet been dono in new oatsheaf chaff. Sales have been made at.'6ss. to 70s. at country stations, but farmers aro ar-kinc i> D to 80s., and with Blenheim chaff offerinß at n. much l? w " rate an export business with tho Isi.ind cannot- be dono at the prices askea by those who intend to convert their, oats into chaff.

Thero is not much uusiners doine in cocKsfoot, as in tho. face of a short oron erowers are not anxious to sell, unless they can eet' something near their own price.

Some linsincss is no'v rtoim: in the new onion crin. at 50s. to 60s. per ton at country stations. N.Z. INSURANCE COMPANY. (Ey".Teicirraph.-!>reM Association.'. The balance-sheet of the Nciv "zcahiid Insuranro -Company. Limited; for the vear ended November 30. 1910. shows that" the net income from premiums, intorrsl and rente amounts to £635,658. The credit i?cr ] ™ e, - an , Qr Payment of the dividend of L ;C f° IV Al ,'? ust !a?t ' is £6 « c6 ' o«t of wniijli tue directors recommend nlacintr £25,C00 to reserves. From the available

balance of £41,6C6 the directors recommend tho payment of a dividend at tho rate of ■as. per share, and a jubilee bonus of Is. per share, nbsorbing £22,500. mnkini: ss. Der share for the year, and nlso to transfer £SCCO to a- proposed provident fund. '1 he paid-up capital, reserves, and undivided profit now amount to £769,106. after providing for tho dividend and bonus recommended by tho directors.